The Midnight Horror Show

What horror fan doesn't love Grindhouse style exploitation and/or slasher flicks?  This particular genre may have run its course with the mainstream in the 1970"s and 80's,  but it has finally cut ( pun intended ) a permanent niche in film noir.  With the technological advances in film, independent film makers have an unheard of capability to do low budget that doesn't look low budget.  All the distresses and scratches in the film, all the sound and projection issues, and all the editting mistakes can be purposely added.  In essence, dirty never looked so clean.  I was sent one great film and I sought out another from a talented group that's responsible for The Midnight Horror Show", a new web horror series.   They have put out two film shorts so far that lovingly give homage to retro slasher and Grindhouse.

The first is "La Cama".  This is a smart indie film with great Grindhouse distressed film effects.  It centers around late night phone calls and bumps in the night.  It has nice touches, like the primary character reading "Creepshow" in bed and the poster art as you can see is fantastic.  I'm impressed the most with the obvious amount of work that was put in to the build of suspense.  The camera angles and the forced perspectives made me uneasy just watching it.  The lighting gives you enough of a glimpse through the shadows to add to the tension.  I would love to see what these guys could do with a full lenght feature film.  Check out the film in it's entirety below, but don't leave after that.  I've got one more to show you.

The second short from the Midnight Horror Show is entitled "VHS 1987".  If you remember camcorders and compact vhs tapes, you'll have a heightened appreciation for the subject matter.  Everyone gets a wish on their birthday, but be careful what you wish for. Usually you get it, in a way you hadn't planned for!   A must see for slasher genre fans! 

Both films were produced by Gold Standard and DIY Productions, and brought to you by the talents of Rudy Gold and Christian Guzman. 

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Crestfallen - The Pleasure and the Pain

I've mentioned several times before on this blog that I'm a big fan of the morality factor in horror.  I think that in many ways, horror movies teach us about the consequences of our actions, or how fleeting life can be on a baser level that shakes us in a way that lets us know we aren't as insulated from danger as we think we are.  I love how a good horror film can turn up the intensity for moments or situations that we have been desensitized to.  The horror is not always the monsters, but where we end up after we've made our decisions.  That's what's really scary.  "Crestfallen" is a very polished horror short from director Jeremiah Kipp.  It stars the very lovely Deneen Melody as a woman ending it all...maybe.

Deneen Melody plays Lo, a young woman attempting to take her own life, but in the process sees the good and the bad moments of her life flash before her eyes.  Deneen Melody is beautiful with soulful expressions and angelic eyes.  There's no dialogue, only a lush score from Harry Manfredini of "Friday the 13th" fame.  Words aren't really needed though, images and emotion tell the tale.  I've watched this several times, and it's mesmerizing. 

Crestfallen (2011) from Dominick Sivilli on Vimeo.